Refrigerator car construction



LA G. BANcRoi-'T REFR'IGERATOR GAR CONSTRUCTIN Dec. 15,V 1942.

Filed Sevpt 10, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l wumms 'A. G. BANcRloF'r REFRIGERATOR CAR cpNsTRucTioN Filed Sept. 10, 1941 Sheets-Sheet? l fr r meh Patented Dec. 15, 1942 REFRIGERATOR CAR CONSTRUCTION Alfred G. Bancroft, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Standard Railway Devices Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application September 10, 1941, Serial No. 410,243

3 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerator cars used to transport perishable commodities at a predetermined temperature. The usual features of such a car are an insulated structure and a refrigerating means for use in warm weather and preferably a heating means for use in cold weather. 1

The invention relates particularly to refrigerator cars of the overhead bunker type. Cars of -this type have the refrigerant containers disposed immediately below the roof and are commonly provided with drip pans below the containers to form refrigerant compartments below the roof and adjacent the side walls of the car. It is also common to provide vertical ues associated with the side walls and extending to near the iloor. These ilues serve as passages for the flow of refrigerated air from the refrigerant 'compartment to below the floor racks of the car so that such air may circulate upwardly through the lading. The ues also serve to drain off melted refrigerant when a foraminous or semiforaminous container is used or to drain off condensation from the container when liquid retaining tanks are used. Such melted refrigerant further cools the circulating air by contact therewith and also contributes to the insulating qualities of the car walls.

Each side wall of a refrigerator car is preferably provided with a door through which lading is transported into the car. These doors must be large enough to permit passage of a truck therethrough and are usually about four feet Wide. The refrigeration of the car is dependent upon cold air circulating downwardly through the above mentioned ilues which are associated with the side Walls of the car. To interrupt a flue for a distance of four feet would obviously lessen the refrigerating efficiency, particularly since the interruption would be at the doorway where more refrigeration is desirable to overcome the effect of insulation deficiencies at the door joints.

The problem of maintaining adequate refrigeration adjacent the doorway has been solved by providing ducts on the doors. When the doors are closed, the ducts are aligned with certain of the side wall flues to form continuous passages for the flow of air from the refrigerant compartment to the lower part of the car. In other words, the operation is as if the doors were non-existent.

The owof liquid through the door ducts is undesirable for two reasons. In the first place when the doors are open, such liquid would fall upon persons and lading entering or leaving the car with obvious disadvantageous results. In the second place, when the doors are closed, it is practically impossible to maintain a watertight relation between the aforesaid ilues and ducts; the contents of the car are therefore liable to damage by such liquid.

My present invention pertains particularly to cars in which at least the lower parts of the refrigerant containers are imperforate so as to retain a quantity of liquid. A commonly used container of this type is substantially imperforate except for a few overflow apertures spaced above the bottom. The container is thus adapted to hold a limited quantity of a low temperature mixture of ice and brine which cools air coming in contact with the bottom of the container. Such air is further cooled by intimate Contact with liquid which has escaped through the aforesaid apertures.

The object of my invention is to arrange the overflow means in such a way as to prevent the ow of liquid through the door ducts and to direct such liquid through the side wall ilues, preferably adjacent the doorways. The means which I disclose for carrying out my invention direct the liquid into the desired paths without interfering with the circulation of cold air.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description by referring to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a transverse section through a refrigerator car embodying my invention, the left side being on line IL-IL of Fig 2 and the right side on line IRFIR of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

The general parts cf the refrigerator car shown are insulated roof 2; side walls 3; floor 4; hatches 5; refrigerant containers 6; side wall ilues l; foraminous floor rack 8 and space 9 between rack 8 and oor 4. Refrigerant containers 6 are positioned directly below the roof 2 and preferably adjacent each side wall 3. Drip pans I2 are provided below the containers 6 and spaced apart partitions I4 are secured in upstanding positions at the edges of the drip pans I2. The drip pans I2 and partitions I4 cooperate with the roof 2 and side walls 3 to form enclosing structures II around the containers 6, air inlet openings I5 being provided by spacing the partitions I4 from the roof 2. Air discharge openings Il which lead to the side wall flues are provided for flow of cold air to such flues. Doorways are provided through the side Walls 3 (see left side of Fig. 1) and a pair of doors 20 are adapted to close each doorway, the doors 2U having associated therewith ducts 2l are aligned with the ues 'la when the doors 20 are closed.

lAir circulation is as follows: Air in the lading compartment I8 is warmed by contact with the lading and rises through the duct I6 between the partitions I4 to enter the enclosing structures II through the air inlet openings I5. The air is cooled by contact with the refrigerant containers 6 and falls by reason of its greater density through the discharge `openings Il. Adjacent the doorways, the cold air iiows through the door ducts 2| to the space 9. Remote from the doorway, the cold air flows through the ues 'I to the space 9. Such cold air then rises through the rack 8 to the lading compartment I8.

The refrigerant containers 6 disclose-d are sub- :stantially imperforate except as hereinafter described and-except for openings 24 in the tops 25 .aligned with the hatches 5 for loading refrigerant into the containers. Inverted channel shaped bailles 21 reinforce the containers and retard the surging'of refrigerant. Longitudinally extending angle members 28 secured' to `the sides of the containers 6 are supported at 4their opposite ends by carlines 38 which extend between and are secured to the side walls 3.

The containers 35 which are positioned adjacent the doorways are each provided with two groups 36 ofV overflow' apertures 38 in the container walls 39 nearest the center of the car. One group 3S of apertures 38 is positioned near each of the end walls 4I of the container 35 in align-` ment with one of the lues l. A hood-like structure 42 is provided for each group of apertures 38, which structure has a closed front 44, closed top 45, closed ends 4l and open bottom to direct f to the drip pan I2 liquid which overflows through the apertures 38. 'I he drip pan I2 is provided with upstanding ridges, such as the angles 49, which define channels for leading the overfiowed liquid to the lues I and for preventing the eni' trance of the liquid into the lues 'la and ducts 2I.`V The center parts of the containers 35 adjacent the doorways are imperforate. The apertures 38 may be provided adjacent either end but preferably adjacent both ends of each containers 35, as disclosed.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that Various modications thereof,'within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

l. In a refrigerator car having a wall, a refrig-v erant container adjacent the upper part of said wall, a doorway through said wall below said container, flues associated with said wall adjacent each side of said doorway, means to overflow liquid from said container and a drip pan below said container to direct said liquid to said flues, said overflow means being disposed only in alignment with said ues and comprising apertures Vand a hood-like structure having closed front and closed ends attached to the exterior of said container in alignment with said apertures, said drip pan being provided with upstanding ridges spaced apart toform channels for flow of liquid from said overflow means to said ues.

2. In a refrigerator car having a wall, a refrigerant container adjacent the upper part of the wall, a doorway through the wall below the container, a flue associated with said wall adjacent at least one side of said doorway, a drip pan spaced below said container to form a passage arranged to communicate with the upper part of said lue, and ridges on the upper side of said drip pan spaced apart to form a channel leading to said ue, said container being substantially devoid of overow means except for apertures aligned vertically with said channel for overiiow of liquid from said container into the channel and thence into said flue.

3. In a refrigerator car having a wall, a refrigerant container adjacent the upper part of the wall, a doorway through the wall below the container, a flue associated with said wall adjacent at least one side of said doorway, a drip pan spaced below said container to form a passage arranged to communicate with the upper part of said ilue, ridges on the upper side of said drip pan spaced apart to form a channel leading to said flue, said container being substantially devoid of overflow means except for apertures aligned vertically with said channel, a hood-like structure atached to the exterior of said container in alignment with said apertures and having an open lower side facing said channel to direct overflowed liquid into the channel and thence into said flue.

ALFRED G. BANCROFT. 

